Electric-railway system



(No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. H. SHORT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. H. SHORT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

No. 401,796. Patented Apr. 23, 1889.

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ELEGTRIG RAILWAY SYsTEM. N0 401,796. Patented Apr. 23, 1889.

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S. H. SHORT.

ELEOTRIQ RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Patented Apr. 23, 1889;

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- NlTE FISTATESIATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY HOVE SHORT, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

ELECTRIC-=RAI LVVAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent N0. 401,7 96, dated April23, 1889.

Application filed AprillO, 1888. Serial No. 270,185. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, SIDNEY I-IowE SHORT,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Columbus, in thecounty of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Electric-Railway Systems of Overhead Conductors,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved means for supporting the electricalconductors of a system of electrical railways.

The objectof the invention is to provide such a means that the number ofpoles, arches, or similar ground supports is reduced, and

that the conductors are more nearly parallel with the railway-track.

The invention consists of poles or similar standards or supportssituated at intervals along a railway, cables joining and attached tothe said supports, insulated hangers suspended from the supports andfrom the cables,

electrical conductors carried by the said hangers, and a trolley servingas a current-cot lector located upon the conductors and connected withan electric car of the system, all in combination, as hereinafter setforth.

In the accompanying drawings the system is described so that any oneversed in the art may construct the same.

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of one of the arches spanning the streetand adapted for two tracks. Fig. 2 is a side view of the arch shown inFig. 1, a car being shown in connection with the conductors. Fig. 3shows a halfarch in elevation, all the above-named figures showing anelectric lamp carried by the arch above the central portion of thestreet. Fig. 4 is a plan of the system at a street-corner, where itbecomes necessary that the conductors should lie as nearly as possiblein a true curve, such as the arc of a circle. Figs. 5 and 6 represent,respectively, top and side views of means for stretching the cables.Figs. 7 and 8 show, respectively, two rectangular views of the hangersfor suspending the conductors from the cables, Fig. 7 being shown partlyin cross section and each figure being broken into two parts. Fig. 9 isa diagrammatic view of the system, showing the poles or arches in sideview, the cables connecting them, and the conductors suspended atintervals from the cables.

y a post or base, a, of suitable material-such as j half-arch shown inFig. 3, curved braces cl,

extending from the central portion of the extension b to the center ofthe half-chord c, or

to about one-quarter of the chord c, an upcables and to the chord c orc, and adapted to be adjustable so as to put a greater or less tensionupon the cables, the cables being let tered j, hangers 7c fixed to thecables at intervals between the arches, and shown on an enlarged scalein Figs. '7 and S, and electrical conductors attached to the hangers andindicated by the letter Z.

The hangers consist of the combination of a rod or tube, m, secured tothe cable j; a short beam, n, fastened by nuts 0 in an adjustable mannerto the said rod; insulators p, carried by the said beam at each endthereof protecting-coverings above the said insulators, andconductor-holders q, secured to the insulators and hanging downward insuch a manner that the current-controller T, which runs on theconductors, may pass by the arches without interruption.

The cable-stretch ers (shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6) consist of thecombination of an illsulating cylindrical block, 8, to which the cableis attached by a loop, a forked screw-holder, t, for'the block 3, and apivoted screw, 75', secured to the arch, a frame, it, having holesopposite each other and into which the said screws respectively screw.lVhen the frame a is rotated, the screws approach each other and stretchthe cable or loosen it, according to which way the said frame is turned.

The principle of construction at the street IOO corner or at asimilarsharp curve in the roadway is substantially as above described inreference to a rectilinear line; but the details of construction aredifferent, as shown in Fig. 4. This construction consists of thecombination of three arches or semi-arches, each provided with suitablestretchers, as above described, two cables, j and j connecting,respectively, two of the posts or arches with the middle post or archwhich overhangs either one of the tracks at an angle of about forty-fivedegrees, and a third cable, or the main cable, j, connecting the firstand third arches and provided with tie ropes or wires which extend fromitself to the cables j and 3 the tie-Wires being of such length andtension as to hold the cable j in an approximate curve. From the curvedportion. of the cable j the hangers are suspended at comparativelynumerous points and the hangers support the conductors, as abovedescribed. The wires or cables j and j being comparatively short will bepraitical'y rectilinear, as shown in the drawings.

By the application of my invention it becomes possible and practical toreduce the number of poles or similar ground supports to such an extentthat there are only about twelve to the mile, or in the city only one ortwo per block. It is preferable in the city to place them at streetintersections, where it is desirable also to have a large electriclight.

I find that the number of hangers may be such as to be about the samedistance as poles are at present placed in the ordinary systems. Incurves the hangers are placed closer together, so as to make the curvemore truly a curve.

ihe cables are preferably constructed of iron wire, which may bestretched without danger of breaking.

If the conductors are small in diameter, and it is desired not tosubject them to strain, the number of hangers may be increased per mileor unit of length. The greater the number of hangers the greater thedegree of parallelism between the conductors and the railway-track.

I claim as my invention 1. In an electric-railwaysystem of overhead 5oconductors, the combination of elevated supports located at intervalsalong the railway, insulated hangers suspended from the supports, cablesconnecting and secured to the said supports, a second set of hangerssuspended from the cables, electrical conductors supported upon the saidhangers, and a current-collector located upon the conductors andconnected with the electric car of the system.

2. In an electric-railway system of overhead v conductors, thecombination of two posts, a chord connecting the upper portions of theposts, tie-rods connecting the chord and posts, insulated hangerssupported upon the chord and ties, cables supported upon the chord, asecond set of insulated hangers suspended from the cables, andconductors supported upon the hangers.

3. The combination of three fixed supports not located in the samestraight line, but substantiallyin the same horizontal plane, cablesconnecting every two supports, tie-Wires connecting one of the cableswith the remaining two, and insulated electrical conductors suspendedfrom that cable which is held by tie- SIDNEY HOWVE SHORT.

Witnesses:

HARVEY BANCROFT, F. C. MOELROY.

